Deep sea mining! A new climate frontier?

Deep sea mining means, that industrial activities will operate in 2000 to 6000 meters depth, and the mined material needs to be lifted over a this huge distant, with temperature differences from as low as 4°C  at the sea bed, to up to 20°C at the sea surface, with changing salinity and water currents over the entire distance.  The beginning of deep-sea mining is near.

Will a new chapter be opened in the climate debate? That depends on the volume of work. If one considers several hundreds, the warming of the atmosphere by carbon dioxide (CO2) would presumably no longer occupy the debate alone. For now it seems unlikely that there will be more than only a few exploration sides in the nearer future, which would nevertheless require understanding the possible impact on the atmosphere.

Interesting is the sudden rush in this field. Mining the “vast and rich minerals” from the seabed and continental shelfs was a big issue in the 1970s. A United Nation conference from 1973–1982, adopted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, from 10. December 1982, this regulates in Part XI, the access to the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction. This area that covers about 50% of the entire ocean seabed, which has been declared as the “the common heritage of mankind”, to be managed by International Seabed Authority, based in Kingston, Jamaica. At its 28th Session of the Legal and Technical Commission from 28 June – 7 July 2023, the way to start the first full mining operation may be paved, provided the adoption of mining regulations take place.

Although 40 years have passed since adoption of UNCLOS, suddenly there is a second player in the field: Norway. The Financial Times reported recently (in print; June 12, 2023) that “Norway’s government is readying plans to open an area of ocean nearly the size of Germany to deep-sea mining as it seeks to become the first country to extract battery metals from its sea floor.” See the image by Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has said that it is necessary to mine the deep sea to extract minerals to support the development of electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels. Whether Norwegian claim which goes: that it “commands exclusive mining rights over a larger area of water there than Russia, the UK and the EU contend it does” is challenged, is of little interest here. Concerning the environment it is said that the government would take a “precautionary approach”.

There are numerous voices within Norway and outside, opposing the move, concerning seabed biodiversity, seabed condition, and fishery. Norway’s environment agency has strongly opposed the plan. It said in a consultation response this year that the proposal violated Norway’s legal framework for seabed exploration by failing to provide enough sustainability data. (see FT). According Euronews (2023/06/21): Environment groups, as Greenpeace, and World Wide Fund for Nature, condemn Norway's move to open its waters to deep sea mining.

While some topics are on the table and discussed, little is known, whether enough knowledge and attention has been payed to the complex water column as described in the opening paragraph above. The water column is affected by numerous aspects, particularly by the Norwegian Coastal Current and the North Atlantic Drift Water (warm and salty Atlantic Water). As data, information and impact assessment on how deep sea mining could affect the local weather, or regional climate, are difficult to find, it seems necessary to keep an eye on the matter.

Financial Times (in print; June 12, 2023), online: https://www.ft.com/content/44855d32-82c2-4f4c-b77c-1c21d3c1279f

Euronews (2023/06/21); https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/21/environment-groups-condemn-norways-move-to-open-its-waters-to-deep-sea-mining